Is TLC's sMothered Fake?
Reality television feeds off big personalities and increasingly strange situations. Arguably the best example of that idea at play in the current landscape is TLC's sMothered, a show that follows mother-daughter duos that are so close they practically share a brain. Naturally, given its rather unique premise, the show has turned out to be a hit with fans of the network's other cult offerings, particularly the long-running Sister Wives.
Season 2 just kicked off and with it comes a whole new slew of enjoyably bizarre moments between featured twosomes, such as Mary and Brittani, Marcia and Alena, and, of course, Dawn and Cher, who have previous experience with reality TV after starring on beloved MTV show My Super Sweet 16. As sMothered continues to gain traction, however, more and more questions are being raised about whether the bizarre onscreen antics are 100 percent real, or craftily planned in advance.
Questions surround sMothered and its creators
The casting page for the TLC show certainly raises a few eyebrows, inquiring whether applicants have "an over-the-top and EXTREMELY CLOSE relationship." Although it's clearly angling for a certain type of mother-daughter team, the casting call promises sMothered will be a fun experience (and the current stars certainly fit the bill).
However, an Instagram account called @smotheredisfake has been spilling the tea about aspects of the show they believe are less than accurate. The account is run by a self-described investigative journalist who believes that series creators Rissa and Christine Razzi engineered sMothered based on their own experiences, rather than simply documenting the lives of actual mother-daughter duos that share a close bond. The Razzi women are also allegedly actresses.
The account includes photos from an old Instagram account purporting to belong to cast-member Angelica, in which she features without her mother, Sunhe. Likewise, friends claim that Angelica always wanted to be an actress herself.
Many sMothered cast members are actors
It's also revealed that Cher appeared in several small movies, revealing her own desires to be onscreen, while Adrian, whose daughter Mariah appeared on the first season, is an actor, too. Still, this doesn't necessarily mean these people are acting on the show. Besides, reality TV often acts as a gateway for performers.
The drama has reached Reddit, with one user writing that they believe the show is real to a certain extent, but also, "Some things are so obviously fake that it makes it hard to watch." Another user pointed out that everybody on sMothered acts as though they've never witnessed the stars' close bonds before, which also seems suspect. "You'd think if they always had this wild relationship people wouldn't be so shocked," they argued.
TLC hasn't outright said the show is scripted but, then again, it's unlikely they ever would. Even as @smotheredisfake works tirelessly to expose the alleged truth, there's no doubt sMothered continues to pull in the numbers with fans, regardless of whether its stars are acting up on purpose or not.